Out there, on planet Nederland, there is your usual stroopwafel on top of a coffee cup on one side of the coin, and then there are freshly made (and warm) market stroopwafels eyeing you from the flip side.
As a reminder and a disclaimer, we at DutchReview pride ourselves on being a hand-selected foodie community.
Therefore, we decided it’s only appropriate for us to address this food phenomenon: Dutchies eating warm market stroopwafels. 🤤
What is it?
Going to an open-air market has its own hype in the Netherlands. Mainly for all the exclusive treats you get to experience from market stands and food carts — such as freshly made stroopwafels that tickle your nostrils from miles (or kilometres) away. 🪶👃
READ MORE | The Hague Market: The colourful and vibrant open market of The Netherlands.
Unlike its storebought counterpart, market stroopwafels are tinkered and made to warm you up on these cold grey days and guarantee a smile on your face — just like a toasty hug for your soul.
Why do they do it?
The Netherlands presents a perfect environment for such an invention. It’s cold, wet, and grey for the majority of the year, so a pick-me-up in the form of feel-good food is never a bad idea, to be honest.
Also, think of it this way: Why not take a Dutch food staple, magnify it to three times its size and serve it warm to pedestrians, rain or shine?
It’s a business model for the history books if you ask me! Even McDonald’s tried to get involved. 💰
Why is it quirky?
There’s a lot to cover here. ✍️ For starters, the gigantic size of market stroopwafels, which (not to be a party-pooper) poses some health questions about normal sugar intake.
Additionally, the setting in itself is quirky. Picture yourself standing in a narrow market line, eyeing the stroopwafel being made for the person in front of you while a colony of opportunistic seagulls looms around overhead. 👀
In case you didn’t know, making those warm market stroopwafels requires an insanely impressive amount of technicality — we’re talking razor-sharp slicing and timing. Here’s a video to demonstrate. 👇
An additional perk to this quirk is the possibility of stroopwafel add-ons, which are offered on a vendor basis, such as a market stroopwafel dipped in chocolate. 🍫
Should you join in?
Oh absolutely. Waistline concerns aside, we say go for this wholesome treat: it’s warm and delicious!
What do you think of this Dutch quirk? Have you experienced it? Tell us in the comments below! 👇
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in November 2021 and was fully updated in October 2023 for your reading pleasure.